


War is not won by victory

by inqwex



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24508096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inqwex/pseuds/inqwex
Summary: His whole life defined by conflict, Harry must adjust to a post-war life. Meanwhile, Remus must change a lifetime of habit and put down roots. The two men become friends.Canon divergence: Tonks and Lupin don't die.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

It felt somewhat anticlimatic, but with a simple _Reparo_ , the pieces of his own wand flew back together and Harry closed his fingers around its plain, scuffed holly wood appearance. It _thrummed_ in his hand as if in welcome. He stowed the Elder Wand away - secreting it in the tomb would be a matter to deal with discretely, without half the wizarding world to bear witness.

As they exited the Headmaster's Office, months of being on the run had all three of their wands out and directed at the figure leaning against the wall half-hidden in the shadows.

Remus Lupin smiled crookedly at them as he pushed away from the wall.

"I come in peace," he said. "Mostly because even though you three might have defeated the Dark Lord and his hordes of minions, Molly Weasley about lost her mind to realise you three had disappeared."

"We can look after ourselves," Ron said hotly.

Lupin chuckled. "Oh, we know," he said dryly. "I suspect it has something more to do with the fact that your mother - fully believing in your abilities - loves all three of you and worries, given barely an hour ago we thought Harry had died."

The mild reminder that Fred was still dead hung in the air, and Ron shifted uncomfortably.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Lupin sighed heavily. "Don't apologise," he said, running a hand through his hair. "But shall we get back to the Great Hall?"

The walk back was silent, but as Ron and Hermione entered the Hall ahead of them, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't have words to say how glad I am you're not dead," Lupin's words were wry, but the grip on his shoulder was tight. "I'm heading back home - Andromeda's a Healer and she'll be more use here than I will so I'm heading to look after Teddy. Please, come by whenever you want." 

"I nearly did die," Harry hedged around the truth. "And I saw them - Fred, and Sirius, and Mum, and Dad -" the grip on his shoulder became almost painful, and Lupin's eyes widened, his face paling. "Anyway. Sirius said that ... he said that I had to do a good job for Teddy. Dad said to tell you to be happy, and Mum said -" it hadn't made a huge amount of sense "-I told you so."

Lupin stared at him in surprise. "Harry," he started, before pausing. "I...Are you okay?" He shook his head. "Stupid question, maybe."

Harry shrugged. "I feel okay," he said cautiously. 

"Good," Lupin said quietly, forcefully.

The Hall shifted as the two of them entered, and Harry felt himself on edge with all the eyes directed in his direction.

Suddenly it felt overwhelming.

"Professor, d'you reckon I could meet Teddy now?" he asked impulsively, catching Lupin's sleeve as the taller man strode towards Tonks and the Weasleys. 

"You can call me Remus," Lupin reminded him mildly. "And of course. I meant it when I said you were welcome at any point." His gaze was a little too perceptive, and Harry shifted a little uncomfortably. The two reached the knot of people, fairly in the centre of the Great Hall.

Mrs Weasley pulled him into a big hug, and Harry somehow found himself passed between the Weasleys for a variety of half-hugs and slaps on the back. Harry didn't know what to say - what could he say?

"Sorry about Fred," was what fell, lamely, from his lips. Mrs Weasley's face crumpled, and Mr Weasley put his arm around her.

"It wasn't your fault," he said fiercely. "Don't you feel responsible, Harry Potter."

"Fred wouldn't have missed it for the world," pale-faced George said hollowly. "No matter what."

Then there was the first awkward pause Harry could remember having with the Weasleys, and he thought distantly that this is when Fred would usually have cracked a joke.

A large silver wolf flowed from Tonks' wand from where she stood nearby with Lupin. The wolf looped around the group before disappearing. 

"Be careful, Dora," Lupin said quietly.

"I'd say the worst was over," Tonks said with grim cheer. "Give Teddy a kiss from me."

Harry was used to Tonks being light-hearted, cheerful, clumsy, and it was a bit jarring to see her with blood smeared across one cheek, radiating a cold power and fury.

"Of course," Lupin replied, squeezing her hands before letting them drop. "Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I'm, er, going to meet my godson," he said, the words feeling surreal.

"But -" Mrs Weasley objected.

"Safer for him, really," Mr Weasley cut her off quietly. 

"Floo through if you want," Lupin said. "I'll open it to the Burrow." He glanced at Ron and Hermione and Ginny. "You can come too if you want to...have a minute."

"No, we'll manage this," Ron promised, looking right at Harry. "You go and meet Teddy, mate. We'll catch you later."

Harry bid stilted goodbyes to the Weasleys and Hermione, before following Lupin out of the Hall, the collective gaze of the room following them. Lupin paused outside the doors, and with a quick rap on his head, Harry felt the familiar cold of Disillusionment trickle down his spine.

"Just in case," Lupin said with a crooked smile, before setting off down the corridor. Harry had expected to leave the castle, and walk across the grounds, and so was a little perplexed as to why Lupin took them on a walk to near the Ravenclaw Common Room. "In my year here, I found a couple more passageways," Lupin explained, pausing in front of a small sketch in a little alcove. "Best hold my arm, Harry."

Harry took a hold of Lupin's arm, and peered at the sketch. It was non-descript, a small pencil drawing of a tree growing over a stone wall. 

He suddenly felt compressed, like he did whenever he Apparated, and blinked, opening his eyes. The pencil drawing had become...the scene in front of him. They were outdoors. And he could see Hogwarts in the distance.

"We're just around from the Shrieking Shack," Lupin explained. "Now, if you're up for it...?" Harry barely had time to brace himself before that compressed feeling washed over him again, and suddenly he was standing in the Tonks' back garden. The door flew open, and Harry felt the familiar shock of recognition as Andromeda Tonks rushed outside, so similar to Bellatrix his fingers twitched around his wand.

"Remus," she said, throwing her arms around Lupin. "Thank Merlin." She drew back. "Nymphadora?"

"She's okay," Lupin assured her. "Minor curse damage only."

"She mentioned in her Patronus that you were harder hit," Andromeda's eyes narrowed, and she cast a professional diagnostic glance over the two of them, wand suddenly in her hand and dancing over the two of them. 

"I'm as patched as can be," Lupin said wearily.

"Mr Potter, you aren't," Andromeda said sharply, before warning, "grit your teeth." An all-too-warm air rushed over Harry, leaving him feeling unpleasantly sweaty. "Nasty curse that was interrupted. Never stuck properly, but you might feel better now."

"Yes," Harry said slowly, realising a heaviness that he hadn't noticed seemed to have been lifted. "Thanks."

"Dora will meet you in the Hall," Lupin explained. "Kingsley and a few of the others will meet you at the gates."

"Very well. We'll see you later in the day," Andromeda said. "Make yourself at home, Mr Potter."

"Er, thanks," Harry said, feeling off-balance by how different Andromeda Tonks' smile was in the same face as Bellatrix. She strode to the edge of the garden and Disapparated. 

"After you," Lupin swept his arm out towards the back door.


	2. Chapter 2

His first time around, Harry hadn't exactly taken the time to notice the decor of the Tonks' abode. Now, he stopped just inside, taking in his surroundings - the instinct honed by months on the run.

The Tonks' home lacked the grimness of Grimmauld and the chaos of the Burrow, but nor was it so sterile as Privet Drive. It was, in short, kind of what he'd always imagined a normal home to look like. It was warm, tidy, with just a hint of clutter to make it seem less...perfect.

"Tea?" Lupin swept in behind him, carelessly flicking his wand at the kettle on the stove. "Or," the older man paused, looking at Harry piercingly. "Perhaps you might want to wash up first?"

Harry looked down at himself - grime, and blood, and dirt, and mud.

"That would be nice," he said. "You can do a lot with cleaning charms...."

"They never quite get you properly clean," Lupin said gently, understandingly, and Harry's mind suddenly flashed back to Lupin when they'd first met on the train - a shabby, somewhat disheveled professor.

"No," Harry agreed, and allowed himself to be pointed towards the main bathroom, Lupin Summoning a towel as he went. 

"We have some clothes you can borrow? Nothing worse than putting back on dirty clothes," Lupin offered.

Harry eyed the height difference - his former professor was well over six foot tall - but shrugged. He'd worn Dudley's clothes for years, and Dudley had been both taller and fatter than him. "If that's okay," he replied, scrupulously polite.

"I'll find something for you and leave them there," Lupin placed a small stool outside the bathroom. "Take as long as you want."

Harry had intended to be quick, feeling somewhat awkward about showering in someone else's bathroom. But the hot water setting - he turned it on as hot as he could bear - was heavenly after a year of washing in mostly cold water. He shamelessly stole some of the shampoo - probably Tonks' - and washed his hair twice. 

Harry had long since lost track of time, when the thought idly came to him that wizarding houses probably never ran out of hot water. He stood a few minutes longer under the spray, before sighing and shutting it off. He wrapped the towel around his waist, and opened the door, relieved to find clothes that were strangely familiar - exactly what he would have. Harry pulled the clean clothes on, glad to find they fit well, and exited the steamed up bathroom.

Music - Muggle music - was playing softly on an old record player, and Lupin was standing over the chopping board in the kitchen.

"Tea?" Harry nodded. The teapot rose at a gesture from Lupin, pouring into a large mug with a small chip in the side. 

"Thanks," Harry said, a little awkwardly as he watched Lupin industriously cut potatoes. "Er, d'you need a hand?"

Lupin smiled at him. "No," he said. "But thanks. Dinner'll be a while yet. If you're hungry, there's jam in the fridge and you can help yourself to the bread. Andromeda baked yesterday."

"Thanks," Harry didn't feel all that hungry, but it seemed like a better idea than sitting around watching Lupin cook. So he got up and made a jam sandwich, realising belatedly that he was actually ravenous when he practically ate it in three bites.

A cry sounded from upstairs, and Lupin finished sweeping the cut vegetables into the pot on the stove. "Just on time," he remarked, glancing at the clock, before heading up the stairs in long strides.

Harry waited awkwardly, finishing his cup of tea, before footsteps sounded on the stairs.

"I know, Teddy, I know," Lupin was saying soothingly to an infant, carefully cradled in his arms. "You're hungry. I know. We'll get you some milk. But you have to meet Uncle Harry."

 _Uncle Harry_.

"Hi, Teddy," Harry said, as the Lupins stopped just next to him. Light brown eyes blinked, and became a startling green. "Just like Tonks, eh?"

"Quite," Lupin's voice was full of pride as he dropped a kiss to his son's forehead. 

"How old is he now?" Harry asked suddenly. "I should know that!"

Lupin chuckled. "Rather more things have been keeping you occupied," he said mildly. "He's three weeks old."

"Three weeks," bitterness welled up. "Well, he's lucky he didn't lose you both!"

Lupin's expression closed over. "I would've preferred for Dora to not have come," he said coolly. "But, I have to admit she had a point when she said that if we lost this battle, he would've had a hard time as the son of a werewolf and a blood traitor. I wanted to give him the best chance of a free life, as did Dora."

Any response Harry might have made was interrupted by a yawn, then a scream from the aforementioned infant.

"Sorry," Harry apologised reflexively, but Lupin shook his head.

"He's hungry, Harry," Lupin said, heading to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of milk. Warming it with a flick of his wand, he offered the bottle to Teddy who greedily fed. "At any rate, I suspect that's a decision that we'll discuss and debate for years. And I'll be glad for every second of it."

"I just..." he sighed. "Lots of people died for me. I wouldn't want Teddy to have been an orphan like me."

"Harry, people didn't die for you," Lupin said sharply. "They died to fight Voldemort. They died to protect a way of life. Had it not been you, had you not been there, we still would have been. For Teddy. Better he be an orphan in a free world than live on the run with his parents." His voice softened. "And don't for a second feel that survivor's guilt. I'm so glad you're alive. I was so scared when you disappeared."

Harry stared at the table.

"I think I did die," he confessed quietly, glancing up when he heard nothing.

"Harry..." Lupin began in bewilderment. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that...what? How?"

Haltingly, Harry explained about the Deathly Hallows. Lupin remained silent, Teddy's feeding and the pot bubbling on the stove served as the only soundtrack to Harry's words. He told Lupin about using the Hallows, about ending up at King's Cross, about seeing Mum, Dad, Sirius and poor Fred. 

As he started to talk about the Elder Wand, Lupin raised his hand. 

"I don't want to know," he interrupted. "These...these things are dangerous. Much better to pretend your Invisibility Cloak is simply that, the Stone is lost in the Forest, and the Wand - do what you will. I suggest telling no-one."

Harry nodded, looking down at the table again.

"I'm glad you trusted me with it," Lupin said gently, taking the bottle from Teddy's mouth, and moving the little boy up to burp him. "I'm grateful you trust me - my judgement - that much."

Harry shrugged, uncomfortable. "Thanks for the clothes," he said awkwardly.

Lupin allowed the change of subject. "Technically, I guess they're kind of yours?" a fond smile that Harry didn't think the older man was aware of crept over his face. "Dora's got a whole wardrobe dedicated to her disguises. It's what she wore when she posed as you to get you out of Privet Drive."

"That explains why it actually fits!" he exclaimed before asking curiously, "so are all those clothes...like...different sizes?"

Lupin nodded. "I think she said something about most of it being her grandmother's clothes - and then she just added to it. Some of the clothes from Grimmauld made their way there, and now ... well, Ted's clothes migrated there too," he said quietly. 

"I don't know if that's morbid or nice," Harry scrunched his nose up. Lupin laughed. 

"Probably a bit of both," he said easily. He glanced down at Teddy, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Would you like to hold him?"

"Erm, yeah," Harry said uncertainly. "How do I -?"

"Just support his head - don't worry, I've already burped him," Lupin smiled at him nostalgically. "The first time I met you, Lily handed you to me - she'd just fed you but you hadn't been burped yet. You vomited all over me."

"Erm," Harry gingerly took Teddy, carefully trying to copy how Lupin had held him against his shoulder. "Sorry? Is this right?"

"You're doing great," Lupin said encouragingly. "And don't apologise, I fully blamed your mother."

Harry settled back in his chair, automatically stroking the little soft wispy hairs of Teddy's head. The baby felt warm against his shoulder, and surprisingly heavy. Lupin, meanwhile, continued to the stove.

"What happens now?" Harry asked quietly, shifting a little against the hard wooden back of the chair.

Lupin glanced over his shoulder, noticed his discomfort, and idly flicked his wand to transform the chair into a recliner.

"Thanks," Harry said, immediately more comfortable.

"Well, last time there was an inquiry," he said, stirring the pot of soup. "At the moment, Kingsley will be going with the bulk of remaining Aurors and a few members of the Order to take back the Ministry. Most of the work was done at Hogwarts, though. Dora and the rest of the Aurors with the teachers will be clearing Hogwarts, probably, making sure there's no stragglers. We'll need to hold elections, and I suspect the new Minister will set up the inquiry and we'll go back to agreeing that Muggles have rights."

His words were bitter.

"Hopefully this time we can do a better job of actually preventing the next war," Lupin sighed.

"But Voldemort's actually dead this time," Harry pointed out.

"It wasn't really about Voldemort," Lupin argued. "It was about power. There'll be another wizard who wants to be the most powerful, and he'll gain followers by appealing to their base natures." He caught Harry's eye and grimaced. "Don't listen to me. I'm an old pessimist." 

"What did you do after the war?" Harry asked after a few minutes of silence, shifting Teddy a little.

"Hard to hold down a job when you're away a week out of every month," Lupin replied. "I left Britain for the continent, went from job to job. I've tried my hand at most things."

"No, I mean, straight after?"

Lupin sighed. "Well, as soon as I heard, I went straight to Godric's Hollow. I couldn't believe..." his voice grew tight. "Mad Eye was waiting, and arrested me."

" _Arrested you?!_ " Harry exclaimed, startling Teddy, who let out a little wail. Harry hastily patted him gently on the back, and the baby squirmed, but started to settle.

"The Order thought I was the spy," Lupin said tightly. "Mad Eye assumed I'd been in league with Sirius. So immediately after the war I spent about a week in gaol, being repeatedly questioned. Eventually I convinced Moody I had nothing to do with it, and I was released."

"A week?" Harry asked incredulously.

Lupin shrugged. "Sirius was insane with grief, and I wasn't any more coherent."

"I don't understand," Harry shook his head. "Why not just use Veritaserum?"

"They did," Lupin said. "Sirius blamed himself for your parents' deaths. They gave him Veritaserum and asked him who was responsible for James and Lily's deaths and he said, it's my fault. The interrogation ended there."

"And you?"

Lupin's face tightened. "I sparked rather a debate on whether Veritaserum works on werewolves," he replied. "At any rate, they eventually believed me when I said I'd nothing to do with it, and let me go."

"And you left Britain then?"

Lupin hesitated. "I went to Dumbledore," he replied, turning to the stove. His words were muffled, facing away as he was. "I asked about you. Offered to look after you. I knew with the Potters dead you had no other family beyond Lily's sister - and we'd met once, at their wedding, and we... disapproved... of each other."

"Oh," Harry said blankly.

"Then I left."

"What did he say?" Harry asked. "Dumbledore, I mean. What did he say?"

"That you were being looked after by Lily's sister, and that I shouldn't worry," Lupin replied. "I offered to make contact with the Dursleys and help out with you..."

"He said no?" Harry felt bitterness welling up inside him.

Lupin hesitated. "Well, he made the point that he couldn't entrust a child to a werewolf's care," his tone had a forced light-heartedness.

The words hung in the air for a long moment.

"Teddy seems to be doing just fine," Harry observed pointedly.

"Well, Dora and Andromeda can probably take the main share of the credit," Lupin said, self-deprecatingly.

"They're not here right now, and he's fine," Harry pointed out. "I would've liked it if you could have taken care of me."

"Well I appreciate the vote of confidence, Harry," Lupin said.

A chime went off in the house, and Lupin tensed. "Someone's Apparated into the back yard," he said tersely, grabbing his wand. "Take Teddy upstairs."

The words echoed with a chill. "That's what my Dad said to my Mum," Harry said blankly. "Take Harry upstairs and run."

Lupin looked at him in surprise, but any further conversation was interrupted by a silver lynx that flowed into the kitchen, and Lupin relaxed.

"Sorry, Lupin," Kingsley's voice drifted from the lynx as a knock sounded at the door. "Just me."


End file.
